Drummerszone documented a historic day at the British Drum Company: the creation of the first Maverick snare drum. Hosted by CEO Keith Keough, all the 7 stages of the manufacturing of the first Maple snare drum built at the British Drum Co are revealed.
The 7 Maverick stages Without any hidden factory secrets, this is how all the layers of a BDC drum shell are made by hand and built using the company's Cold Press Moulding technique. And that really means that no heating of the wood is involved when the drum shells are in the mould.
The British Drum Co (BDC) has seven phases in building the Maverick snare drum. In this video and article, we cover all the stages of how the first Maverick is built at the BDC factory in Manchester in the UK. More unique footage is almost impossible.
We recommend reading the full article below the video as well to get a better understanding of the processes you see in the video. This video is the short version of the full documentary that we will be releasing as well.
Building the Maverick - the first Maple snare drum by the British Drum CO.
Cutting, stitching and pressing the veneers Building drums and shells starts with veneer; thin layers of wood that are pressed together to build the shell of the drum. For the Maverick, the wood is all Maple. The outer veneer is also maple, but a beautiful Maple Eucalyptus Flame. When talking about a finish on drums, it means how and of what material the outer side of a drum is made of. The Maverick is a drum made of 100% Maple wood. Which means the looks (the outer veneer) is also maple and the 11th ply on the Maverick.
John cuts the veneers and layers them in a vertical and horizontal way to strengthen the shell. After pressing, the shell layer is ready for building the actual shell.
Cold Press Moulding & building the drum shell This is one of the main reasons why the BDC drums sound like they do. The Cold Press Moulding technique used by the British Drum Co doesn't heat the wood when all the layers of the drums are put in the mould. Instead, it makes all the layers acclimatize. A drum stays in the mould for at least four hours. After that, it takes 24 hours before the next step in the building process continues.
The Click The raw veneers that John made are precisely cut into place. When a layer of the drum shell fits 100% on the previous layer in the mould, the famous BDC Click confirms it is a full match. This stage requires master drum building skills.
In our extended and full documentary, we will learn more proper details and info on 'The Click'.
Working on the Maverick's raw shell After building the best possible shell, the new drum is cut down to size and sanded. The process of sanding and cutting the bearing edges that hold the drumheads are done by the Master Drum Builders at the British Drum Co.
Marking & drilling the Maverick shell Then, all the holes in the drum are marked out. These are the holes for lugs that hold the hoops, the snare strainer area and of course the air hole and the BDC Badge. Fraz explains what the real difficulty is during this stage when holes have to be drilled in a drum shell.
Where other drum companies have this automated by machines, in Manchester this is all done by hand. Literally. More detailed info on this in our full documentary.
Finishing the Maverick's shell A wrap (a finish that is installed on raw shells or over an existing wrap) will probably never happen at the British Drum Company. You get wood, and the finish will be that outer veneer that makes the distinct look and sound like the company wants it to be.
During this stage, every drum is prepped, sanded again, hand oiled and is a unique one on its own for eternity.
Assembling the Maverick Dr. John, as we like to call him, does the assembly of the Maverick with the company's Palladium hardware. A precise job and you cannot lose attention here. A finished drum at the British Drum Company has to be perfect. Attaching the lugs, the badge, and putting the snare wires right into place are all moments of precision.
The result cannot be less than the perfect drum sound the company has set for each drum leaving the factory.
The first Maverick snare drum ever made!
The incredible factory team at the British Drum Company
British Drum Company Artists include Ian Matthews (Kasabian), Pete Cater, Al Murray, Salle de Jonge, Ilse Hofma, Joe Donovan (Blossoms) and many more...
